Gateway
What Is the Talmud?
The central text of Rabbinic Judaism — an introduction
Law, Legend, and Debate
The Talmud is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism — a vast compendium of law, legend, ethics, and debate compiled over several centuries. It consists of two main components: the Mishnah, the first written codification of the Oral Torah, redacted by Rabbi Judah the Prince around 200 CE; and the Gemara, the extended rabbinic discussion and analysis of the Mishnah, compiled in two versions — the Jerusalem Talmud (c. 400 CE) and the Babylonian Talmud (c. 500 CE). When Jews refer to 'the Talmud', they almost always mean the Babylonian Talmud.
The Talmud is not a code of law, though it contains law. It is not a philosophy, though it contains philosophy. It is not a history, though it contains history. It is a record of the rabbinic mind at work — arguing, questioning, refuting, and building — across generations and across continents. Its method is as important as its conclusions: the Talmud teaches not just what to think but how to think.
Why It Still Matters
Rabbi Dunner's writing returns repeatedly to the Talmud as a living source — not a museum piece but a text that speaks directly to contemporary life. In one article, he explores what the Talmud says about social media addiction, finding in an ancient discussion about human nature a remarkably precise analysis of the dynamics of online approval-seeking. The Talmud's insight, he argues, is not that it anticipated the internet — it is that it understood human psychology with a depth that no technology has superseded.
This is the spirit in which Rabbi Dunner approaches all of his Torah teaching: the ancient texts are not merely historical documents but living conversations that every generation is invited to join. The Talmud is the record of that conversation — and it is still going.
Explore Rabbi Dunner's Torah Writing
Essays on Torah, Talmud, Jewish law, and Jewish thought — drawing on the full breadth of the rabbinic tradition.